Had an audition for a musical panto this week, though I really impressed judges with my acting, think it was probably my singing that let me down and also the amazing standard of the other candidates!
My agent requested I give another actor on her books a lift to the audition, turned out we had friends in common and similar interests in performance. Kinda making me think I want to get my own theatre projects going again. This time focus on working with people my own age or older. The amount of effort I've put into working with kids I want to push myself again, but be able to enter competitions and perform in venues this time.
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Monday, 10 October 2011
Chaotic Combinations
This weekend, the 8th and 9th of October, I took part in Organised Chaos' 'Chaotic Combinations' competition.
On arriving at Salford University we were split into groups, one writer and two actors. We were given stimulus points to work from, Long Lost, Family Celebration and A Special Event, the groups then dispersed into different studios to work.
In my group there was myself, Roxanne a drama student at Manchester University and Stephe a budding writer about to go and study for her MA in Creative Writting. We were drawn to the theme of Long Lost, which led to the idea of Long Lost information having an effect on a current friendship. It became a heavily devised piece.
The next day myself and Roxanne again met at Salford University and ran the scene several more times, attempting to make our acting style more dynamic and energetic in places to make the piece more entertaining.
We then went over to Kro Bar, to prepare for the competition, after a dress rehearsal and lunch, nerves started to mount. The other groups scripts were of a higher standard, which left me and Roxanne feeling slightly intimidated, the other actors spoke with their writers about character development and delivery, due to other comitmments Stephe couldn't be with us at the competition, more reason for myself and Roxanne to feel under prepaired.
The compeition was great, led by a professional comedian as compere he roused the audience and perpare them for the acts they were about to see. We acted our piece to the best of our ability and we had many comments from fellow actors and the writers that they enjoyed the concept of our piece and thought our acting was good. All in all it was a fun experience, it was great to see creative people working together in a fun light hearted compeititve manner, I'm looking forward to joining in similar events in the future.
On arriving at Salford University we were split into groups, one writer and two actors. We were given stimulus points to work from, Long Lost, Family Celebration and A Special Event, the groups then dispersed into different studios to work.
In my group there was myself, Roxanne a drama student at Manchester University and Stephe a budding writer about to go and study for her MA in Creative Writting. We were drawn to the theme of Long Lost, which led to the idea of Long Lost information having an effect on a current friendship. It became a heavily devised piece.
The next day myself and Roxanne again met at Salford University and ran the scene several more times, attempting to make our acting style more dynamic and energetic in places to make the piece more entertaining.
We then went over to Kro Bar, to prepare for the competition, after a dress rehearsal and lunch, nerves started to mount. The other groups scripts were of a higher standard, which left me and Roxanne feeling slightly intimidated, the other actors spoke with their writers about character development and delivery, due to other comitmments Stephe couldn't be with us at the competition, more reason for myself and Roxanne to feel under prepaired.
The compeition was great, led by a professional comedian as compere he roused the audience and perpare them for the acts they were about to see. We acted our piece to the best of our ability and we had many comments from fellow actors and the writers that they enjoyed the concept of our piece and thought our acting was good. All in all it was a fun experience, it was great to see creative people working together in a fun light hearted compeititve manner, I'm looking forward to joining in similar events in the future.
Friday, 23 September 2011
Reading
I have recently finished reading Stephen Nachmanovitch's, 'Free Play'.
It was during rehearsals for 'The Interview' that I began reading this book and have been dipping into throughout my summer at Edinburgh and travelling with my boyfriend.
A great thought provoking book on mystic creativity and different cultures understandings of creativity.
In the concluding chapter Nachmanovitch tells how:
"Beyond the drive to create is yet a deeper level of commitment a state of union with a whole that is beyond us...
Creativity is a recursive process, invovling interactive, interlopping circuits of control and nourishment between organism and enviroment. if the organism is like us conscious it may feel that it is the tool (or even the victim) of some big mysterious force. but there is no force there is the interconnectedness of the big system, Gaia."
For Nachmanovitch once the artist has surpassed creating art for arts sake there is, "Acting from love."
I'd like to say I very much agree with Nachmanovitch on this notion, from my experiences of working closely with other actors in close physical ensembles, bouncing off other actors in workshop enviroments and working with other dancers. There is a great sense interconnectedness when a common goal and empathy is shared between a group of creative people working together.
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
The Interview
Just a very breif update on this.
This was not a pleasant experience, it started amazingly, I really enjoyed working with other actors, being an actor rather than a children's drama teacher, felt like a dream was coming true. I admired the people I was working with and had hope that the play would be a success, that it would tour England and who knew further.
Cast members began dropping out and we were getting closer to performance.
Performance came, we had been promised a UK tour, this didn't come to pass, in the end it was three performances at the Bradford playhouse.
I did not enjoy the performances, didn't seem to be the same play we were rehearsing. I found it stressful and upsetting, but refused to leave because I wanted to see the project through to the end. I had dedicated so much time to the project and had at one point had so much faith in it.
Jason was very adamant that I was better than my agent, but at this point, he has very much upset me and has been unable to pay me for work presented, my agent is still trying to help me through equity receive payment which is due, even though time taken her isn't worth the amount she will be paid. I have much respect for Mel in doing this.
I cannot wait for the full stop on this, I'm upset and looking forward to future projects so I can put this behind me.
This was not a pleasant experience, it started amazingly, I really enjoyed working with other actors, being an actor rather than a children's drama teacher, felt like a dream was coming true. I admired the people I was working with and had hope that the play would be a success, that it would tour England and who knew further.
Cast members began dropping out and we were getting closer to performance.
Performance came, we had been promised a UK tour, this didn't come to pass, in the end it was three performances at the Bradford playhouse.
I did not enjoy the performances, didn't seem to be the same play we were rehearsing. I found it stressful and upsetting, but refused to leave because I wanted to see the project through to the end. I had dedicated so much time to the project and had at one point had so much faith in it.
Jason was very adamant that I was better than my agent, but at this point, he has very much upset me and has been unable to pay me for work presented, my agent is still trying to help me through equity receive payment which is due, even though time taken her isn't worth the amount she will be paid. I have much respect for Mel in doing this.
I cannot wait for the full stop on this, I'm upset and looking forward to future projects so I can put this behind me.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Jayson Bartlett's 'The Interview'
I am so very excited to be performing in this play, a powerful play, with a very important reminder from our past, relevant to our lives in the modern day aswell.
Monday, 7 February 2011
6th February 2011
First rehearsal for Jayson Bartlett's "The Interview"
We are a cast of around 25 people, there are around half a dozen who have been in the production before and the rest are new like myself. I'm so nervous about acting in a professional production, but this is what I spent my time in Uni for, wish I had gone to a stage school, but it was my decision to take a more academic route, have to deal with that now.
My accent needs a whole hell load of work! Going to get films out of library (save our libraries) and watch videos on how to develop accent.
First rehearsal was great, I have a few parts to work on and think about before next rehearsal. I'm keeping a much more detailed and personal diary to work on this. Will blog in general about rehearsals and hopefully promotional material.
Happy Days xx
We are a cast of around 25 people, there are around half a dozen who have been in the production before and the rest are new like myself. I'm so nervous about acting in a professional production, but this is what I spent my time in Uni for, wish I had gone to a stage school, but it was my decision to take a more academic route, have to deal with that now.
My accent needs a whole hell load of work! Going to get films out of library (save our libraries) and watch videos on how to develop accent.
First rehearsal was great, I have a few parts to work on and think about before next rehearsal. I'm keeping a much more detailed and personal diary to work on this. Will blog in general about rehearsals and hopefully promotional material.
Happy Days xx
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Monday, 29 November 2010
Workshop With Casting Director Alex Wheeler
27th November 2010
Alex Wheeler lead another great session. Wheeler put us into pairs, and we acted a scene for him. I worked with the same partner as the day before and we played a scene of a person interviewing another for a flat share. We played it first very friendly, to what we felt was appropriate taking into account our phsyical appearance and the way we naturally played the scene. It came across like friendly students chatting about future living plans. Wheeler then asked us to play the scene again, this time my character being very much a bitch, this created an entirely different scene. I very much appreciated this chance to experiment with the scene and respond to the director's instruction.
We then had time to try another commercial, for skitsofrenia, this was very much a phsyical exercise, each performer had to display a very dramatic emotion and immediately snap to the next one. From anger, to paranoia and finally suicidal.
Wheeler at the end gave me words of encouragement about starting a phsyically based drama group of my own. Using casting call pro as the tool to get the word out. Really want to do this soon, or should I research funding first? Or just try to produce the piece first?
Alex Wheeler lead another great session. Wheeler put us into pairs, and we acted a scene for him. I worked with the same partner as the day before and we played a scene of a person interviewing another for a flat share. We played it first very friendly, to what we felt was appropriate taking into account our phsyical appearance and the way we naturally played the scene. It came across like friendly students chatting about future living plans. Wheeler then asked us to play the scene again, this time my character being very much a bitch, this created an entirely different scene. I very much appreciated this chance to experiment with the scene and respond to the director's instruction.
We then had time to try another commercial, for skitsofrenia, this was very much a phsyical exercise, each performer had to display a very dramatic emotion and immediately snap to the next one. From anger, to paranoia and finally suicidal.
Wheeler at the end gave me words of encouragement about starting a phsyically based drama group of my own. Using casting call pro as the tool to get the word out. Really want to do this soon, or should I research funding first? Or just try to produce the piece first?
Workshop With Casting Director Nicci Topping
25th November 2010
Nicci Topping operates TOPPS CASTING in the UK. She has experience of casting for feature films
and short films, television commercials, pop promos, videos, voice overs, photographic assignments and the
theatre.
Topping's session consisted of giving us in pairs a script, some had a very straight forward dialogue between two girls, going through a creepy factory. And others had the script for a wii commercial. I would much rather have had the wii commerical. It allowed actors to demonstrate how well they could present script in a natural manner. Whereas the script for the girls in a spooky factory was quite hard for me to take seriously. Suppose there will be many times to come where I will find a script hard to be believable and I will have to perform my best any way.
Nicci Topping operates TOPPS CASTING in the UK. She has experience of casting for feature films
and short films, television commercials, pop promos, videos, voice overs, photographic assignments and the
theatre.
Topping's session consisted of giving us in pairs a script, some had a very straight forward dialogue between two girls, going through a creepy factory. And others had the script for a wii commercial. I would much rather have had the wii commerical. It allowed actors to demonstrate how well they could present script in a natural manner. Whereas the script for the girls in a spooky factory was quite hard for me to take seriously. Suppose there will be many times to come where I will find a script hard to be believable and I will have to perform my best any way.
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